BALTIMORE — Attorney General Anthony Brown today filed a federal lawsuit against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
The lawsuit seeks compliance with the AG's subpoena for records related to reported dangerous, inhumane, and unlawful conditions in ICE "hold rooms."
It also stems from an investigation into whether ICE has engaged in a pattern or practice of civil rights violations against people detained at the Baltimore facility.
"The conditions inside the Baltimore holding cells have been dangerous, inhumane, and unlawful — and ICE and DHS have done everything in their power to keep us from finding out just how bad they are. The agencies have stonewalled our investigation while people in their custody are denied critical medical care and forced to sleep on cold cement and live in their own excrement," Attorney General Brown said.
Officials say the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has been monitoring conditions in the hold cells since the summer of 2025.
According to the Attorney General's Office, the hold rooms — designed for short-term confinement of no longer than 12 hours — have no showers, no on-site medical staff, and only a single open toilet per room. Despite this, ICE has detained individuals there for days or weeks at a time.
Court documents allege that more than 50% of detainees were held on days when the Baltimore hold rooms exceeded their total capacity of 56 people.
Treatment of detainees was also flagged as inadequate. Multiple sworn declarations describe detainees being denied critical medications, including treatments for leukemia, HIV, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The rooms allegedly had no windows, clocks, or calendars, and detainees were denied access to outdoor space, television, or any recreational materials.
RELATED: Judge: Baltimore ICE hold rooms violated Fifth Amendment, orders immediate limits on detainees
On January 30, the OAG issued an administrative subpoena to DHS and ICE demanding records about conditions in the hold rooms, detainee demographics, and the legal basis for individual detentions.
ICE denied the subpoena in full on February 25.
The lawsuit asks the court to order DHS and ICE to produce the subpoenaed documents or provide other appropriate relief.
